A retired Myanmar general who formerly served as ambassador to Cambodia was shot dead on Thursday, two military sources said, in an attack claimed by anti-coup fighters.
Myanmar鈥檚 military seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a civil war pitching it against pro-democracy guerrillas and resurgent ethnic armed groups that have long been active in the Southeast Asian country鈥檚 fringes.
Most combat is confined to the countryside and smaller settlements, although sporadic grenade and gun attacks on police and junta-affiliated targets are regularly reported in the largest city Yangon.
A source close to the military said former general and Cambodia ambassador Cho Tun Aung 鈥榳as shot and killed鈥� outside his Yangon home around 8:30am as he gave alms to monks collecting donations.
鈥楬e used to donate meals every morning,鈥� the source said. 鈥楾he shooters used this opportunity to assassinate him.鈥�
A military officer confirmed Cho Tun Aung had been shot and killed without providing further details.
The attack was claimed by the Golden Valley Warriors, a little-known group that said Cho Tun Aung had been a confidant of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and was teaching at a defence academy in his retirement.
鈥極ur Golden Valley Warriors team conducted the shooting after collecting and verifying information for a long time,鈥� the statement said.
The junta has suffered stinging territorial setbacks in recent months but analysts say it is far from defeat, with a powerful air force supplied with Russian jets and military backing from China.
Ethnic armed groups have proven the military鈥檚 most capable opponents but often have ambitions limited to their own areas, while pro-democracy guerrillas are scattered and poorly coordinated.